Enigmatic Letters

Sharp scream slipped from her mouth and when she opened her eyes again, Belle was met with darkness. “Shush! On the Halo’s of the angels! Belle! It’s me!”

Belle snapped her eyes, not convinced until the other person lighted the candle. Damian’s brown eyes mirrored over hers, “What is wrong with you? You look pale,” Damian shook his head.

He said those words but Belle could also see his tired face. “It’s nothing I thought I just felt someone was following me but it was you,” she sighed, ruffling her hand up over her hair. “I thought you were asleep.”

“And so did I thought you were asleep,” Damian looked at how her sister appeared as if a vampire had sucked her blood dry. “In any case, it’s already late at night you should sleep. Or are you afraid to sleep alone?”

Damian was concerned as he asked this to her. He was always the worrywart but also sensitive. He knew how difficult for everyone to be in the mansion at this moment when they could still remember clearly the bloody image of the lovely Rachel on the floor above them.

Belle didn’t reply as it was a difficult question for her to answer. She felt scared and sorrowful. There was a hollow cavity on her heart which she couldn’t describe by words. There was tears brimming on her eyes and it wasn’t she was trying to hold back her tears, it was that she couldn’t bring herself to cry. It was too painful for her that her tears couldn’t stream down from the rim of her eyes.

“Do you want to sleep with me? Like the old time— you know when you, and me, and Rachel…” Damian realized the missing member of the three siblings and choked to his words. “Father is taking his time, alone. But Mother is in my room, we can stay together for the night.”

Belle decided to agree. Being in her room that was right below her sister’s room was too much for her at the moment and she didn’t want to be alone. Following that night, Belle snuggled herself next to her mother. Her eyes were opened wide, she wasn’t able to close them much less to fall asleep for the fear her sister’s face would come to her mind again.

As she closed her eyes, finally drifting to sleep after losing count of how many attempts she had tried, Belle fell asleep. She opened her eyes to find herself sitting on a wide dining table.

She was on one side of the seat while a man was sitting on her opposite side, far away from her, at the end of the table.

Her surrounding was dim with only a lamp in the middle of the wide dining table. The lack of light didn’t help her to make out her own surrounding but she could see the faint silhouette of the man sitting before her.

Despite being seated, his poise was straight and tall. His hands that were moving the utensil created an even broad line to his wide shoulder. His sharp jawline was emphasized by the flicker of the candle. Belle urged herself to ask who the man in front of her was but the man only lifted his eyes to gaze at her. She couldn’t take what kind of expression he held on his face but she could tell there was a grin on the man’s face— a curling grin filled with malice and excitement.

“You are late,” the man spoke, his voice was deep enough to make her dizzy, put her on the edge of her seat and raise an excitement through her blood, everything and all at once. “I hate tardiness but if it’s you, I can pardon you in any time. However, it doesn’t mean you would be release without a punishment, dear Be…”

“…Belle?”

Her eyes snapped open to see the light shining toward her. Belle covered her eyes by her fingers, noticing Damian’s face near her as he sat on the side of the bed, “Are you alright? You were crying in your sleep,” he said hesitantly.

Belle only realized the trail of water that slipped from the corners of her eyes which she quickly wiped away, “Yeah, I am alright. It was only a nightmare.”

Belle didn’t know what she had dreamed about which had caused tears to escape from her eyes and wondered which was more fearsome. The reality of Rachel’s death or her nightmare.

“Where’s mother?” Belle asked once she had pushed herself from the bed.

“Grandmother came, she went out to greet her.” Damian informed.

Belle’s eyes widened in startle, “What’s the time?”

“It’s three…”

“Oh Lord! I have slept for that long?! Have you greeted grandmother?” Damian nodded and at that moment, Belle knew she had made a terrible mistake. “I will leave now. Grandmother is the scariest when it comes to waking up late!”

With the help of her maids, Belle managed to prepare herself in less than twenty minutes. Arriving on the first floor, her body straightened stiffly when she caught sight of her grandmother’s white hair which had been tied high up. Her dress that covered up to her neck made her appearance even more strict and to add with her smileless expression, it was all the reason why Belle had always been scared of her grandmother since she was young.

The woman’s eyes sharply stare at her as she made her way silently down, “Good morning grandmother,” she greeted, seeing the elder woman frown and belatedly she realized she had wished the wrong greeting.

As she thought her grandmother would scold her, only a sigh could be heard from the elder woman. “I would never thought to appear on my granddaughter’s grave before she came to mine.”

Belle realized that today was one of the exception where her grandmother would ever not nitpick on the details. A sad expression appeared on her face. Belle knew deep down, despite her grandmother’s harsh scolding, the woman deeply love and care for her, Rachel, and Damian.

“I… would never guess it either,” her mother replied weakly. Her pallid face broke Belle’s heart. “It’s a good time you are here, Belle. I would like to talk to you about Rachel’s room. There are things there that had been cleaned. Your father said it would be better to clean her room and emptied them. I think so too…”

Belle knew this was their way to let go of Rachel’s death. There was no one in this mansion who didn’t mourn for her death. They had lost an angel and Belle couldn’t tell how long it will take for their loss to be healed. Perhaps even never.

“You should see if there are some of her things that you want to keep. I can’t… come there,” her mother whispered. Her eyes were still red, traces of sadness on her eyes that Belle couldn’t bear to see.

Being the only daughter left in the family, Belle showed her mother a sweet smile, “I will. Please have more rest, mother.”

“Yes, I think I would need more of that,” said her mother before then she looked at her grandmother, “I would like to retire for now, mother.”

Belle saw her grandmother giving a curt nod before her mother’s figure leaving the sitting room. Being alone with her grandmother made Belle unsettled. She decided to visit her sister’s room. Although she often come to the room with brimming happiness, now only fresh wounds are left on her heart.

“What did the authorities said?” Her grandmother’s soft but strict voice startled Belle.

She turned her eyes to meet her grandmother before pursing her lips tightly. “They announced as suicide. But I do not believe that. Rachel loved Dante from the bottom of her heart. Suicide is not the reason for her death. I am sure of this.”

Her grandmother looked at her before sighing, “You are not wrong Belle. I don’t believe she killed herself either. Since young, Rachel is mentally weak but if there was one thing she detest the most it would be to leave her family behind crying.”

Belle turned to see her grandmother’s hand offering her an envelope. Taking it to her hand, Belle stared at it in confusion, “This is…?”

“Rachel send me this envelope the day before, I don’t understand what it is but I know it is a poem. I think it’s meant for you.”

Belle watched her grandmother leave after she had said what she wanted to relay. Making her way to Rachel’s room, Belle slowly unfolded the letters, her eyes then fell into enigmatic words her sister wrote for her.

‘Night was long.

I heard his voice, calling me.

It’s wrong, and I told myself those words.

I opened that book again, close them,

Open, and close again.

My choices are wavering.

Warning bells on my ears,

I should leave this thoughts.

His words are tempting,

But I know my wish won’t come true.

I close the book,

Hid it away,

As I do not want to fall deeper into this nightmare.’

Belle blankly read what was written when at the same time she sensed the shadow lurking from her sister’s room. In a hurry she dashed toward the place only for her to see a cat running outside the window.

Her entire body chilled. She didn’t know if it was the letter that her sister wrote which made no sense to her but at the same time, it had send her a horrible premonition, as if something deeper was going on between her sister’s death.

Something darker— Something inexplainable by humans.